Adedigba Adebowale

Ensuring equal access to quality health services without financial hardship is  critical to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). However, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, still has a lot to do to achieve UHC. Over 71 per cent of Nigerians pay for healthcare out of pocket, according to the National Health Accounts, leading to financial hardship for some. To expand health coverage, state governments across the country started their State Health Insurance Schemes.

To reduce the high rates of maternal deaths in Nigeria, the government must prioritise health and ensure free access to maternal health services especially in rural communities, some health experts have advocated. These experts who spoke during a one-day summit themed ‘Re-echoing Voices for Family Planning Funding and Need to Make Maternal Health Services Free by Incoming Political Leaders” agreed that access to free maternal care is a major way to end high mortality rate in the country.